Categories

Location

This shot was taken at the famous Trollstigen Road in Norway. It lies at the outer edge of the Reinheimen national park, where it leads to the small city of Åndalsnes.

Time

We arrived at this road in the mid afternoon that day around 3 PM. At this time we couldn't even see the valley nor the road for all the fog. But just one coffee later it had fortunately cleared up with some remains of the fog lingering between the mountains beautifully.

Lighting

As this is all natural light I did not have any impact on it. But the cloudy sky makes for a nice moody feeling with soft shadows and yet intense colors.

Equipment

This was my very first trip with a freshly bought DSLR. It is a Canon Eos 60D with a 30mm f/1.4 Sigma lens. As this focal length was way to big to capture the whole scene, I took lots of pictures for a panorama.

Inspiration

When we arrived at this spot on the Trollstigen viewing platform we were simply amazed by the landscape unfolding in front of us. I just wanted to capture the pure immensity of the mountains around us, with the valley stretching towards the horizon. The road winding down the mountain side and into the distance underlined the whole scenery so perfectly as if it was just built for photographs.

Editing

As this is a handheld panorama consisting of 15 or more single images, stitching software was my biggest ally for this one. Apart from that there were some contrast and color adjustments done to bring out the beautiful tones of the landscape. I also sharpened the image in post and intensified the shadows and highlights of the road to make it stand out more.

In my camera bag

Not much yet, as I bought my DSLR last year in Mai and my budget as a student is quite restricted. I Carry my 60D, a 30mm lens, and a 70-300mm lens. As I shoot mostly landscapes though, the 30mm is what I use 90% of the time. Aditionally I carry a Rollei C4i Tripod, a circular 64xND filter, as well as a remote-control release.
My next purchase will definitely be a wide angle lens with a focal length around 15mm and a polarizing filter. Also a good camera backpack is a must, which I still lack.

Feedback

If you see something that captures your attention just go for it. Try different angles and perspectives and focus on the subject that made you get the camera out in the first place. I think taking lots of pictures and experimenting is the most important thing (at least as a beginner), as there will be some good ones in there eventually. When I stood on this platform I was far from sure, that this would turn out as imagined or if it would even be possible to stitch the panorama. I almost didn't even post-process this one, as the single images didn't look that promising at first. So never give up on a shot too early, as it could turn out much better than anticipated in the end.